Barbet Won’t Eat – 10 Common Reasons & Solutions

As a doting dog devotee with over 20 years of experience caring for canine companions, I often get asked “My Barbet Won’t Eat, what should I do?” It’s an understandable worry for people whose furry friends when their canine companion seems disinterested in mealtime. As an ardent animal authority, allow me to offer my best strategies to get your pup excited about eating again.

There are many possible reasons why your dog may have lost their appetite. This article explores the top causes and proven solutions to help get your dog to eat again. Below are 10 of the most common reasons your dog might not be eating. Alternatively if you want to save some time you can get free vet advice directly.

Common Reasons Your Barbet Won’t Eat

1. Oral Health Issues and Oral Pain

Oral health conditions like gum disease, infected teeth, and cracked teeth is very common in dogs and can cause severe oral pain that prevents them from wanting to chew their food. Signs that your Barbet has dental issues include halitosis, inflamed gums, pawing at the mouth, and dropping food. Dogs may start eating only soft food or refuse to eat their meals.

See your vet immediately if you notice these signs of dental disease, as untreated infections can spread bacteria to the bloodstream. Your vet will likely recommend a full dental cleaning and extraction of diseased teeth under anesthesia to relieve your dog’s oral pain. They may also prescribe antimicrobials and pain medication. With treatment, your Barbet appetite should bounce back within a few days once the mouth pain subsides.

2. Nausea from Gastrointestinal Upset

Given the nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, or other gastrointestinal issues, dogs tend to avoid eating. Issues like dog food allergies, inflammatory bowel disease, pancreatitis, infections from parasites, and viral enteritis can cause GI disturbances, can be the cause a Barbet wont eat.

Diagnostic tests like bloodwork, fecal exams, and abdominal imaging can help identify the underlying condition causing loss of appetite. Once nausea wanes, administering treatments like anti-nausea medications, antibiotics, anti-inflammatory drugs, and specific diets can rapidly restore appetite.

Always stick to the treatment plan set out by your veterinarian and provide the advised dosages to your dog.

3. Anxiety and Stress

Routine alterations, trips, new settings, intense sounds, and encountering unknown dogs or humans can be stressful for Barbets. These stressful or anxiety-provoking situations commonly cause a decreased appetite or outright refusal to eat.

Try to minimize your dog’s stress levels by maintaining normal routines when possible and using anti-anxiety medications/supplements if recommended by your vet. To entice them, consider hand-feeding tasty options like grilled chicken, moist puppy chow, or kibble drenched in a savory broth.

Once your dog begins to acclimate to the alterations causing anxiety, you’ll likely notice an uptick in their appetite.

4. Barbet Decreased Sense of Smell

A dulled sense of smell is a common issue for older dogs and those with chronic nasal/respiratory diseases. Should the dog food come off as flavorless or uninviting, it doesn’t inspire them to eat or kindle their appetite.

Try warming up canned food or wet foods to release a stronger aroma.Over their usual kibble, add aromatic ingredients such as chicken broth, grated cheese, bits of bacon, or tinned fish.Doing so makes their meal more appealing.

In cases where an upper respiratory ailment is responsible for the loss of smell, your veterinarian’s recommended antibiotics and decongestants can aid in reviving their appetite.

5. Picky Eating Habits

Certain Barbets have innate fussy eating tendencies, stemming either from monotony with their meals or a penchant for people’s food. Dogs with fussy appetites might begin shunning their food or choosing what to eat meticulously.

In addressing a discerning dog’s inclinations, it could be beneficial to cyclically swap between 3-4 quality food options like air-dried, raw, or canned varieties. To their usual kibble, you might introduce enticing ingredients like cubed ham, stirred eggs, flavorless yogurt, or cottage cheese.

It’s essential not to feed them human leftovers, so you don’t reinforce choosy behavior. By being patient and imaginative, discovering foods that your selective dog adores becomes feasible.

Consider these products as suitable options for Barbets with selective tastes.

6. Underlying Medical Issue

Many internal health challenges, not limited to dental and gastrointestinal conditions, can result in a lack of appetite in Barbets. Among the problems are diseases of the kidney, cancerous growths, hypothyroidism, infections in the urinary system, and failure of vital organs.

Make an appointment with your vet right away if your adult dog goes 24+ hours without eating or seems lethargic. Procedures including blood tests, analyses of urine, and imaging techniques can identify if there’s a concealed health concern impeding your dog’s hunger.

Treatment of the condition often brings back normal hunger very quickly once your dog starts feeling better. Yet, failing to address health conditions can be perilous.

7. A Change in Eating Routine

Dogs

thrive on routines, and any disruption can often lead them to become finicky eaters. Scenarios where this occurs include switching food brands, feeding at different times, travel, boarding, guests in the home, moving houses, or a new family member like a baby or puppy.

Aim to acclimate your Barbet to these shifts in routine over a span of 2-3 weeks. Take the case of altering their diet: carry out the transition across 7-10 days, methodically adding more of the new food and reducing the old.

To regain their usual appetite, it’s essential to remain consistent and predictable in your actions.

8. Barbet Feeling Overheated

During warm summer days, a dog’s attempt to remain cool through panting can diminish their appetite cues. During the hotter months, ensure your dog always has access to shady spots, cold surfaces, and replenished water.

You might want to serve bigger portions during the more refreshing parts of the day, like mornings or evenings. You can also try freezing their food or water bowls to keep the area around their food as cool as possible.

This helps encourage eating on those hot days.

9. Competition with Other Pets

Certain Barbets can become nervous eating in proximity to other pets, causing them to avoid their meals. The presence of other dogs or cats can create tension over resources like food, toys, and human attention.

Consider feeding them in a different room and employing baby gates to alleviate the mealtime tension. Also, provide multiple food bowls spread widely apart to minimize competition. With these changes, anxious eaters usually become comfortable eating again.

10. A New Adoption or Move

Bringing home a rescue dog or moving with your dog to a new house are very disruptive life events. Newly taken-in dogs or those adjusting to new surroundings often face brief periods of diminished appetite and heightened stress.

Exercise patience, ensure a constant food supply, maintain their usual schedule, and consider tranquility supplements when necessary. You’ll likely notice an uptick in their eating and comfort levels in around 1-2 weeks as they adapt to the alterations.

When to Contact a Vet About Appetite Loss

Should your adult Barbet abstain from eating for a period of 24-48 hours, immediately reach out to your vet. Procrastinating could result in critical outcomes like liver impairment from excessive toxins in the blood.

For puppies resisting their meals or facing appetite troubles, it’s recommended to consult the vet within 12 hours given their swift health decline potential. Ensure you can detail observed symptoms in your pet, from vomiting and diarrhea to fatigue or apparent distress.

The vet will carry out diagnostic procedures to identify if there’s a medical reason behind your dog’s reduced appetite.
Treatment of the condition often gets them feeling hungry again quickly and can encourage your dog to eat once more.

Instead of an expensive vet trip, consider use our Ask A Vet online service to obtain prompt answers prior to a physical consultation. Instead of a pricier in-person consultation, leveraging an online vet service can furnish you with fast responses.

How to Get Your Barbet to Eat Home Remedies

In cases of slight, short-lived appetite loss in a generally healthy dog, certain home strategies might prove effective:

• Change the food: Opt for a novel brand or a different taste and consistency. Such changes might allure choosy dogs.
• Include toppings: Enhance dry food with aromatic and flavorful additives such as canned seafood, chicken stock, or moistened food.
• Serve by hand: Manually feeding the dog in small portions can often lead to better consumption. This direct interaction can boost their interest.
• Heat the meal: A quick 10-second zap in the microwave can enhance the food’s aroma, making it more inviting.
• Initiate with movement: A prolonged walk prior to eating can stimulate hunger hormones in the system, aiding in your dog’s willingness to consume food.

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Preventing Appetite Issues in Dogs

While finicky appetites will always crop up occasionally, here’s how to minimize risks of long-term food refusal:

• Have your vet perform twice yearly wellness checks to catch health issues early.
• Provide your pet with a top-tier, nutritionally comprehensive diet tailored to their needs.
• Daily mental stimulation is essential, using toys, educational exercises, and various enrichment pursuits.
• Prioritize a stable routine for feeding, focusing on uniformity in timing and the feeding spot.

If your dog still wont eat, then talking to a Dog Vet online will get you the help you need, it doesn’t matter if it’s a Barbet or a Azawakh won’t eat, the Vet you will talk to will provide the information you need.

So next time you find yourself searching online for something like “senior dog wont eat“, consider free ask a vet.